Transcribed by Susan Bergeron. Geo. Carlisle Journal Friday, December 8th, 1899 A Hard Case William LIVINGSTONE 32, labourer, Oakbank Cottage, was charged with using snares for the purpose of taking and killing game on October 30th. William BELL, a game watcher, found a number of snares on Oakbank Farm, and from a place of concealment saw them visited by the defendant. One of the snares contained a rabbit. The defendant pleaded guilty and said he was hard up. His wife for some time had been so ill that she required constant attention. He was unable to get a woman to wait on her and had to remain at home himself. He had work to go to if he only had a chance. A fine of 10s. and costs was ordered to be paid (£1 2s 6d). Defendant said he had no money, and if he was at work would make only 3s a day. The magistrates allowed a month for the payment of the fine. ..... Cruelty to a Horse William CAMPBELL labourer, Longtown, was charged with working a horse in a unfit state at Longtown Station on November 30th; and William JOHNSTONE, carter, South Henry Street, Carlisle, was charged with causing the horse to be worked. Sergeant BELL stated that the horse was leading gravel from the river to the station. He saw that it pulled badly and examined it. Under the saddle on the near side were two wounds, each about the size of a sixpence and red raw, and on the offside there was a wound as large as the palm of his hand. CAMPBELL who was in charge of the horse, said the wound had been caused three days before, and as he did not want to be idle and there was no other horse for him to take charge of the padded the saddle and protected the wound as well as he could. It was only skin deep. JOHNSTONE, the owner, was sworn, and said he had not seen the horse for three weeks. His father was superintending the loading of the wagons, and was at Longtown nearly every day, but on the Tuesday of the week in question he went to Newcastle and did not visit Longtown until the following Friday. He had therefore never seen the horse when it was suffering. The case against JOHNSTONE was dismissed: CAMPBELL was fined 30s, and costs (£1 17s 6d. altogether.) ..... Costly Revenge. John WELSH, an old tramp who has been in Longtown for a few weeks, was charged with willfully breaking a plate-glass window at the King's Arms Hotel, the damage being estimated at 30s. MRS. BACK, the landlady, stated that the prisoner was in the Hotel on Wednesday night, and having conducted himself in a disorderly manner, she ordered him out. He refused to go whereupon a man who was in the Hotel put him out. A young man named THOMAS RICHARDSON stated that he saw Walsh put out of the Hotel. Walsh went to the gutter, turned round, and charged at the window with his head, smashing the window into fragments. He then walked to the middle of the street, and exclaimed, "That will do for flinging me out of the pub," Sergeant BELL then took him into custody. The prisoner was ordered to pay the damages (30s) and the costs of the case, or go to gaol for a month. ..... Silloth Thursday (Before W. CRABB, Esq., and Dr. MITCHELL) Obstructing The Footpath. David HARDING, C. KERR, J. HAYTON, James WEIGHTMAN, Thomas HARPER, and James POTTER were charged with obstructing the footpath at Silloth on November 25th. The charge was proved by Police constable SANDERSON. HARDING and KERR were fined 10s each, including costs, and the others 7s 6d. each, including costs. Wife Assault. William ELLIOTT, butcher, Silloth, was charged with assaulting his wife, Jane ELLIOTT, on September 3rd. He was fined 30s., including costs, and an order of separation was granted, the wife to be allowed 10s per week, with custody of the children. ..... Longtown Thursday (Before J. J. BOWMAN, H. BROOKS-BROADHURST, and T. L. SIMPSON ESQRS.) School Attendance Cases. William MURRAY, labourer, Longtown, was charged with neglecting to send his three children regularly to school. MR. W. DIXON, clerk to the Arthuret and Kirkandrews-on-Esk School Board, prosecuted in this and in other School Board cases, and evidence in support of the information was given by Mr. MACDOUGALL, the school attendance officer. The magistrates granted an attendance order. John REAY, labourer, Longtown, was also charged with neglecting to send his children to school. Mrs. REAY, who appeared, said that the children had to stay at home because she was working out. The Clerk: That is why you are here. The law does not admit of such an excuse. If you are starving you must apply to the Board of Guardians and get relief in that manner; you must not neglect to send your children to school. That is the law, and the magistrates have to administer it. The cannot alter it. An attendance order was issued. In a case against William NOTMAN, labourer, Mossband Hall Cottage, Mrs. NOTMAN said the child was six years old, and the nearest school at Blackbank was about two miles away. The child had been absent about half the times the school had been open. Mrs. NOTMAN had told the attendance officer that she would not send her to school for any man in wet weather, and she now said that the little girl had no company, and it was dark at night before she could reach home. The Chairman said the parents were to blame in not sending the child to school regularly during September when there was fine weather; but they could not expect them to send the child regularly to school in bad weather for such a distance. They therefore made no order, but urged the parents to do their best. James TELFORD, labourer, Plump Cottage made a similar excuse in regard to his child's absence, but the evidence for the prosecution showed that the distance was not more than a mile, and that the child had company on the road. An attendance order was granted. Attendance orders were also issued in cases against John Robinson and Adam THORNBURN, both labourers living in Longtown. .....